Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
AS part of its ongoing measures meant to improve the sport industry in the country, the  Sports and Recreation Commission yesterday met multi-disciplinary umbrella sport organisations so as to define the roles played by the organisations in the development of the sector.

The meeting in Harare was attended by the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Zimbabwe National Paralympic Committee, Zimbabwe Republic Police Sports Association, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services, Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash), National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph), Confederation of Heads of Independent Schools in Zimbabwe (CHISZ), Association of Trust Schools (ATS), Educationists in Primary Schools Association (EPSA) and Zimbabwe Tertiary Institutions Sports Union (ZITISU).

The consultative meeting agreed that there was an urgent need to come up with a National Sport and Recreation Strategy to guide the implementation of the sport and recreation programmes across all the sporting disciplines.

It was also noted that all the umbrella sport associations and other sporting bodies were doing good work. It was however observed that there was an absence of a well coordinated approach hence the meeting agreed that the National Sport and Recreation strategy needed to be put in place as a matter of urgency.

It was also the view of the meeting that there was need to ensure that the strategy targets everyone so that people develop a culture of being involved in sport  and recreation as opposed to the current trend where the less talented athletes were isolated especially during their formative years and this led to many athletes either dropping sport or they would emigrate to other countries where their talent was further developed and at times they ended up changing citizenship and this was costing the country.

The meeting was also sensitised on the National Podium Performance Programme and in that discussion members agreed that there was need to come up with a National High Performance system which would see the country producing podium success athletes. While the members acknowledged that there was some degree of success at elite level, it was the meeting’s view that there was no proper system to produce elite athletes, said the Commission in a communiqué released soon after the meeting yesterday.

It said the delegates were also reminded that there was need for them to comply with the Sports and Recreation Commission Act and Statutory Instrument 342.

It was highlighted that the SRC was going to be registering all the sporting and recreational facilities in the country and it was important for those with facilities to comply so that the correct number of sporting and recreational facilities would be known.

“Members were asked to go and consult with their respective constituencies which they represent on which matters they wanted included in the National Sport and Recreation Strategy and were to report back on July 13, 2018.

“In the meantime the SRC together with the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation would consult with other stakeholders with regards to the National Sport and Recreation Strategy.

“The National Sport and Recreation Strategy is meant to operationalise the National Sport and Recreation Policy which was approved by the Government in 2016,” read the press release.

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